Item - 2025.TE21.7

The Toronto and East York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council amend Zoning By-law 1994-0806, as amended by Zoning By-law 1014-2022, for the lands at 315-325 Front Street West, substantially in accordance with the draft Zoning By-law included as Attachment 16 to the revised report (April 1, 2025) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District. 

2. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the draft Zoning By-law Amendment as may be required.

3. Before introducing the necessary Bills to City Council for enactment, City Council require the owner to enter into an amended and restated agreement pursuant to the repealed and transitioned subsections 37(1) and (3) of the Planning Act to secure the following:

a. the community benefits recommended to be secured in the Section 37 Agreement are as follows:

1. the design, construction, finishing, maintenance and provision of at least 32 affordable rental housing dwelling units comprised of at least 1,763 square metres of Gross Floor Area in Phase 1 of the development on the lands at 315-325 Front Street West (the "Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units"), all to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in consultation with the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, in accordance with the following terms:

a. at least 10 percent of the Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units shall be three-bedroom rental units with a minimum size of 84 square metres and a minimum average size of 90 square metres;

b.  at least 30 percent of the Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units shall be two-bedroom rental units with a minimum size of 60 square metres and a minimum average size of 68 square metres;

c. at least 50 percent of the Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units shall be one-bedroom rental units with a minimum size of 48 square metres and a minimum average size of 48 square metres;

d. no more than 10 percent of the Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units shall be studio rental units with a minimum size of 30 square metres and a minimum average size of 35 square metres;

e. the minimum unit sizes shall be to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in consultation with the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and shall reflect the minimum and average sizes of the market units in the new mixed use building;

f. the Affordable Housing Units shall be provided in Phase 1 of the development;

g.  the location and layouts of the Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units shall be to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat;

h. the owner shall provide and maintain the Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units as secured rental dwelling units for a minimum period of 40 years beginning from the date that each such unit is first occupied (the "Phase 1 Affordability Period"); during the Phase 1 Affordability Period, no Phase 1 Affordable Housing Unit shall be registered as a condominium unit or any other form of ownership housing that provides a right to exclusive possession of a dwelling unit, including life lease or co-ownership, and no application shall be made to demolish any Phase 1 Affordable Housing Unit or to convert any Phase 1 Affordable Housing Unit to a non-residential rental purpose; and upon the expiration of the Phase 1 Affordability Period, the owner shall continue to provide and maintain the units as rental dwelling units, unless and until such time as the owner has applied for, and obtained, all approvals necessary to do otherwise;

i. the initial rent (inclusive of utilities) charged to the first tenants of any Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units shall not exceed 100 percent of the average rent for the same bedroom type in the City of Toronto, as reported by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in its most recent annual Rental Market Report;

j. if a Phase 1 Affordable Housing Unit becomes vacant and is re-rented to a new tenant during the Phase 1 Affordability Period, the initial rent (inclusive of utilities) charged to the new tenant shall not exceed 100 percent of the average rent for the same bedroom type in the City of Toronto, as reported by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in its most recent annual Rental Market Report;

k. after the first year of occupancy of any Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units and for the duration of the Phase 1 Affordability Period, the rent (inclusive of utilities) charged to the first tenants or new tenants occupying such unit may be escalated annually by not more than the annual provincial rent guideline, regardless of whether such guideline is applicable to the units under the Residential Tenancies Act or any successor legislation governing residential tenancies in Ontario, until the tenancy ends;

l. notwithstanding the annual rent increases permitted in Recommendation 3.a.1.k. above, the rent (inclusive of utilities) charged to any first tenants or new tenants occupying a Phase 1 Affordable Housing Unit during the Phase 1 Affordability Period shall not be increased to an amount that exceeds 100 percent of the average rent for the same unit type in the City of Toronto, as reported by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in its most recent annual Rental Market Report;

m. the City's Centralized Affordable Housing Access System will be used to advertise and select tenants provided it is in place; in addition, at least six months in advance of any new Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units being made available for rent, the owner shall develop and implement an Access Plan which will outline how units will be rented to eligible households in consultation with, and to the satisfaction of, the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat;

n. the new Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units shall be made ready and available for occupancy no later than the date by which seventy percent (70%) of the new dwelling units in the proposed development are available and ready for occupancy, or to the satisfaction of, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat;

o. the owner shall provide all tenants of the Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units with access to, and use of, all indoor and outdoor amenities in the development at no extra charge and on the same terms and conditions as any other resident of the mixed use building, without the need to pre-book or pay a fee, unless specifically required as a customary practice for private bookings;

p. the owner shall provide all tenants of the Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units with ensuite laundry facilities at no extra charge;

q. the owner shall provide all tenants of the Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units with access to permanent and visitor bicycle parking/bicycle lockers on the same terms and conditions as any other resident of the building in which the Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units are located, and in accordance with the Zoning By-law; and

r.  prior to the issuance of the first building permit for a residential use on any part of the site, including permits for excavation and shoring, the owner shall enter into a Municipal Housing Facility Agreement with the City (the "Contribution Agreement"), for the Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units that are approved for Open Door incentives, on terms satisfactory to the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor; the owner shall provide such Phase 1 Affordable Housing Units in accordance with such agreements(s);

2. the design, construction, finishing, maintenance and provision of at least 16 affordable rental housing dwelling units in Phase 2 of the development on the lands at 315-325 Front Street West (the "Phase 2 Affordable Housing Units"), all to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in consultation with the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, in accordance with the following terms:

a. at least 10 percent of the Phase 2 Affordable Housing Units shall be three-bedroom rental units; 

b.  at least 30 percent of the Phase 2 Affordable Housing Units shall be two-bedroom rental units; 

c. at least 50 percent of the Phase 2 Affordable Housing Units shall be one-bedroom rental units; 

d. no more than 10 percent of the Phase 2 Affordable Housing Units shall be studio rental units; 

e. no less than 5 percent accessible units; and

f.  the Phase 2 Affordable Housing Units shall be provided in accordance with the terms and conditions outlined in Attachment 17 to the revised report (April 1, 2025) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District, to the satisfaction of the Executive Director, Development Review, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the City Solicitor;

3.  the design, construction, finishing, commissioning and equipping of a non-profit licensed child care facility to be located in the second floor of the building in Phase 1, to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the General Manager, Children's Services, to accommodate at a minimum 62 children, including infants, toddlers and preschoolers, comprising a minimum of 1,081 square metres of interior space and a minimum of 440 square metres of exterior space adjacent to the interior space including outdoor storage and six (6) parking spaces reserved for the exclusive use of the child care facility for pick-up/drop-off operations, (the "Child Care Centre"), including:

a. the strata conveyance of the Child Care Centre at no cost to the City, in fee simple, prior to first occupancy of any building within Phase 1 of the development;

b. on, or prior to the conveyance of the Child Care Centre, the City and the owner shall enter into and register on title to the appropriate lands an Easement and Cost Sharing Agreement for nominal consideration and at no cost to the City, that is in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor; the Easement and Cost Sharing Agreement shall address and/or provide for the integrated support, use, operation, maintenance, repair, replacement and reconstruction of certain shared facilities, and the sharing of costs in respect thereof, or portions of the subject lands to be owned by the City and the owner as they pertain to the Child Care Centre;

c. a letter of credit in an amount sufficient to guarantee 120 percent of the estimated cost of the design, construction and handover of the Child Care Centre complying with the specifications and requirements of the Section 37 Agreement, to the satisfaction of the General Manager, Children's Services and the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, will be provided to the City prior to the issuance of the first above grade building permit for any building on Phase 1 of the development, to secure the Child Care Centre;

d. a one-time cash contribution in the amount of $150,000.00 to be used toward start-up costs to be paid prior to the issuance of the first above grade building permit for any building within Phase 1 of the development;

e. a one-time cash contribution in the amount of $150,000.00 to the Child Care Capital Reserve Fund, to replace appliances and large equipment due to wear and tear, to be paid prior to the issuance of the first above grade building permit for any building within Phase 1 of the development;

f. all cash contributions shall be indexed upwardly in accordance with the Statistics Canada Non-Residential Building Construction Price Index for Toronto calculated from the date of the Section 37 Agreement to the date of payment;

g. six (6) dedicated parking spaces will be provided free-of-charge for the exclusive use of the child care facility for pick-up/drop-off operations; these spaces to be assigned accordingly, and be located in close proximity to the elevators providing the shortest route between the underground parking garage and the Child Care Centre, which shall be barrier-free; and a parking pass will be provided for officials conducting inspections of the child care facility; and

h. any other details related to the Child Care Centre such as timing, location, obligations and any matters necessary to implement the Child Care Centre, which have not been addressed in the recommendations of this report will be finalized between the owner and the City and will be substantially in accordance with the City of Toronto's Child Care Development Guidelines (2021) and to the satisfaction of the Executive Director, Corporate and Real Estate Management, the General Manager, Children's Services, and the Executive Director, Development Review, in consultation with the City Solicitor;

4. the owner shall make a contribution in the amount of $1,250,000 to be allocated towards the following capital improvements at the discretion of the Executive Director, Development Review and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in consultation with the Ward Councillor:

a. a cash contribution of $250,000 towards improvements to Isabella Valancy Crawford Park to be provided prior to the issuance of the first above-grade building permit for Phase 1 of the development on the lands, to be indexed upwardly from the date City Council adopts the Zoning By-law Amendment to the date the payment is made; and

b. a cash contribution of $1,000,000.00 for public art on the lands to be provided prior to the issuance of the first above-grade building permit for Phase 2 of the development on the lands, to be secured by a letter of credit in the City's standard form, to be indexed upwardly from the date City Council adopted Zoning By-law 1014-2022 to the date the payment is made; the owner shall submit a Public Art Plan, prior to site plan approval for Phase 2 of the development on the lands, that is in accordance with the City's Percent for Public Art Guidelines to the satisfaction of the Executive Director, Development Review and details of the public art process to the satisfaction of City Council; and

5. all contributions referred to in Recommendations 3.a, .4.a. and 4.b. above, shall be indexed upwardly in accordance with the Statistics Canada Construction Price Index for Toronto; and      

b. the following matters are recommended to be secured in the amended and restated agreement pursuant to the repealed and transitioned subsections 37(1) and (3) of the Planning Act as a legal convenience to support the development:

1. the owner shall construct, provide and maintain a Privately Owned Publicly-Accessible Space  at 315-325 Front Street West with a minimum area of 400 square metres at the northeast area of the site along Front Street West in the location generally identified in the Zoning By-law Amendment, with the specific configuration and design of the Privately Owned Publicly-Accessible Space to be determined and secured in the context of Site Plan Approval for Phase 3 of the development, to the satisfaction of the Executive Director, Development Review;

2. prior to the occupancy for any portion of the Phase 3 portion of the development, prepare all documents and convey for nominal consideration a public access easement in perpetuity in favour of the City over the 400 square metre Privately Owned Publicly-Accessible Spaces set out in Recommendation 3.b.1. above with terms set out in the Section 37 Agreement satisfactory to the Executive Director, Development Review and the City Solicitor;

3. the owner shall construct, provide and maintain a Privately Owned Publicly-Accessible Space at 315-325 Front Street West with a minimum area of 200 square metres centrally located along Front Street West in the location generally identified in the Zoning By-law Amendment, with the specific configuration and design of the Privately Owned Publicly-Accessible Space to be determined and secured in the context of Site Plan Approval for Phase 2 of the development, to the satisfaction of the Executive Director, Development Review;

4. prior to the occupancy for any portion of the Phase 2 portion of the development, prepare all documents and convey for nominal consideration, a public access easement in perpetuity in favour of the City over the Privately Owned Publicly-Accessible Spaces set out in Recommendation 3.b.3. above with terms set out in the Section 37 Agreement satisfactory to the Executive Director, Development Review and the City Solicitor;

5. the owner shall be responsible for the design, construction, provision and maintenance of a PATH connection through Phases 2 and 3 of the proposed development, including the conveyance at nominal cost to the City of easement(s) for use by the general public, with details of the final location and design to be determined and secured in the context of Site Plan Approval for Phases 2 and 3 of the development; the owner shall provide knock-out panels in the lower levels of Phases 2 and 3 of the development to provide for the extension of the PATH to the east and north of the site, with the details of the PATH connection and knock-out panels to be determined and secured at Site Plan Approval for Phases 2 and 3 of the development; 

6. the owner shall provide a minimum 3.0 metre wide public pedestrian easement to the City, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the City Solicitor, in a location generally described as a north to south access over the eastern portion of the site, from the proposed Privately Owned Publicly-Accessible Space referred to in Recommendation 3.b.1. above to the walkway adjacent to the south of the development, with details of the location and final design to be determined and secured in the context of Site Plan Approval for Phase 3 of the development, to the satisfaction of the Executive Director, Development Review, and that such easement lands be maintained by the owner at its sole cost; the conveyance of the easement shall be at no cost to the City to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor and the owner shall be responsible to prepare, submit to the City for approval and deposit all required reference plans to describe the easement;

7. the owner shall provide a minimum 2.1 metre wide public pedestrian easement to the City, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the City Solicitor, in a location generally described as a north to south access over the central portion of the site, from the proposed Privately Owned Publicly-Accessible Space referred to in Recommendation 3.b.3. above to the walkway adjacent to the south of the development, with details of the location and final design to be determined and secured in the context of Site Plan Approval for Phases 2 and 3 of the development, to the satisfaction of the Executive Director, Development Review, and that such easement lands be maintained by the owner at its sole cost; the conveyance of the easement shall be at no cost to the City to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor and the owner shall be responsible to prepare, submit to the City for approval and deposit all required reference plans to describe the easement;

8. the owner shall provide a minimum 2.1 metre wide public pedestrian easement to the City, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the City Solicitor, in a location generally described as an east to west access across the southern portion of the site, from Blue Jays Way to the walkway extending along the eastern portion of the site referred to in Recommendation 3.b.6. above, with details of the location and final design to be determined and secured in the context of Site Plan Approval for Phases 2 and 3 of the development to the satisfaction of the Executive Director, Development Review, and that such easement lands be maintained by the owner at its sole cost; the conveyance of the easement shall be at no cost to the City to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor and the owner shall be responsible to prepare, submit to the City for approval and deposit all required reference plans to describe the easement;

9. prior to the commencement of any excavation or shoring work, the owner shall submit a Construction Management Plan to the satisfaction of the Executive Director, Development Review, the General Manager, Transportation Services and the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building, in consultation with the Ward Councillor, and thereafter in support of the development, will implement the Plan during the course of construction; the Construction Management Plan will include, but not be limited to the following construction-related details: noise, dust, size and location of staging areas, location and function of gates, dates of significant concrete pouring, lighting details, vehicular parking and queuing locations, street closures, parking and access, refuse storage, site security, site supervisor contact information, and a communication strategy with the surrounding community, and any other matters requested by the Executive Director, Development Review and the General Manager, Transportation Services, in consultation with the Ward Councillor;

10. prior to the commencement of any excavation and shoring work, and prior to the first building permit, the owner shall provide required easements to the City for the purposes of reconstruction, maintenance, repair, protection and monitoring of the Transmission Watermain that traverses the site, with no demolition to occur on the site prior to providing technical reports respecting the Transmission Watermain all to the satisfaction of the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services, as set out in Attachment 18 to the revised report (April 1, 2025) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District; 

11. the owner shall enter into a financially secured Municipal Infrastructure Agreement to secure the construction of the off-site improvements needed to provide sanitary sewer servicing capacity to support the proposed densities for Phases 1 and 2 of the development, to the satisfaction of the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services and the General Manager, Toronto Water;

12. the owner shall provide easements in relation to maintenance of the Blue Jays Way and John Street/Rod Robbie Pedestrian bridges;

13. the owner shall submit updated Crash Wall Design Reports and Drawings, and an updated Noise and Vibration Impact Study, at the time of Site Plan Approval for the development, to the satisfaction of the Executive Director Development Review;

14.  the owner agrees to address any comments from the approved Rail Safety Report and related peer review conducted by the City, and to implement any required modifications and/or mitigation measures, at the time of Site Plan Approval for the development, to the satisfaction of the Executive Director, Development Review;

15. the owner shall submit a Public Realm and Landscape Master Plan for the site at the time of Site Plan Approval for Phase 1 of the development, to the satisfaction of the Executive Director, Development Review;

16. the owner acknowledges that, should City Council approve a revised right-of-way design for Front Street West along the frontage of the site, which may include enhanced and expanded pedestrian public realm space and/or a cycle track or bikeway along the south side of the Front Street West, a condition may be imposed through the Site Plan Approval for a phase of development to secure the revised right-of-way design for the subject development phase; should City Council approve a revised right-of-way design, the owner will agree to incorporate elements of the revised right-of-way design along any previous phase(s) which do not require the demolition of any landscaping or public realm improvements already installed within the public realm and/or any civil works already in construction or constructed through the Site Plan Approval process; and

17. the owner shall construct and maintain the development of the site in accordance with Tier 1, Toronto Green Standard, and the owner will be encouraged to achieve Tier 2, Toronto Green Standard, or higher, where appropriate, consistent with the performance standards of the Toronto Green Standard, applicable at the time of the Site Plan Control application for each building on the site.

4.  City Council authorize all parkland dedication cash-in-lieu funds collected for 315-325 Front Street West, pursuant to Section 42 of the Planning Act, to be allocated to contribute to new, expanded and improved parkland opportunities within the vicinity of the site that will produce new parkland with significant City-wide impact.

5. Before introducing the necessary Bills to City Council for enactment, City Council require the owner to:

a. submit a revised Rail Safety Report, that addresses the outstanding items in relation to the review of the Rail Safety Report by Metrolinx, as outlined in the letter from Metrolinx dated February 14, 2025, to the satisfaction of the Executive Director, Development Review, in consultation with Metrolinx; and

b. address comments from Parks and Recreation in relation to the extension of the lease for Isabella Valancy Crawford Park, to the satisfaction of the General Manager, Parks and Recreation.

6. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to review and report back on the feasibility of amending City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 925, Permit Parking, to exclude the development located at 315 - 325 Front Street West from Permit Parking.

The Toronto and East York Community Council held a statutory public meeting on April 3, 2025 and notice was given in accordance with the Planning Act.

This report reviews and recommends approval of an application to amend the Zoning By-law to permit a mixed-use development with four buildings, including three residential buildings and one office building that would contain 1,793 dwelling units and 144,237 square metres of non-residential gross floor area at 315 - 325 Front Street West.  The development is proposed to be constructed in three phases including:

Phase 1 – two residential buildings with proposed heights of 50 storeys (168 metres)

Phase 2 – one residential building with a proposed height of 71 storeys (235 metres)

Phase 3 – one office building with a proposed height of 60 storeys (278 metres)

The site was the subject of a previous Zoning By-law Amendment application, approved by Council in July of 2022 (By-law 1014-2022).  The previous application proposed a mixed-use development with four buildings including two residential buildings and two office buildings and contained 832 dwelling units and 273,592 square metres of non-residential gross floor area.